gogreen
Member
I need to vent and this is a good place to start. I currently own a 2008 John Deere 4720 eHydro with 225 hours. Obviously, I don't use it much. It has developed an antifreeze leak between the timing gear cover and engine block. Antifreeze is seeping through the gasket material all the way around it. An internet search reveals known problems with this happening. It is related to the aluminum timing cover against the steel engine block, different contraction ratios when hot and cold. The gasket material used by the factory will break down after a couple of years (like shortly after the warranty runs out). I called my dealer and they said they have fixed several of them, the kicker is that it will cost $2000. 3 days at $80/hr labor. There are no parts, they just tear it down and reseal it with more gasket material. It requires pulling the front axle out, because the oil pan must come off to remove the timing cover.
My disappointment comes because over the years, we have bought a 445, 4200, and a cabbed 3520. All new. Currently we own a X595, that we bought with 19 hours off of a local family that the owner passed away and they didn't want to keep it. Otherwise, we would have bought a new one to upgrade the 445. Anyway, I call John Deere corporate, even after the dealer said I would be wasting my time. Which it was. I explained that I have always been a John Deere customer and that I felt a $2000 repair bill on a tractor with 225 hours on it was rediculous for a gasket material that didn't hold up. My tractor is always stored indoors and it looks brand new. I told her that a search of the internet shows that Deere knows it is a problem. Her reply was that you could search the internet and find problems with anything, that if they sold 10,000 units and had problems with 300 of them, they would be on the internet. She said that out of warranty was my responsibility. I understand that if I had worn a part out or broke something internally by overworking the tractor it is my problem. But this leak developed on the tractor sitting in my building when the weather turned cold a few weeks ago.
I am now contemplating just tearing it down myself, but I'd rather not be so mad when I am doing it. I also am wondering if anybody on here has experienced the same problem with their 4720 and what their results were.
My disappointment comes because over the years, we have bought a 445, 4200, and a cabbed 3520. All new. Currently we own a X595, that we bought with 19 hours off of a local family that the owner passed away and they didn't want to keep it. Otherwise, we would have bought a new one to upgrade the 445. Anyway, I call John Deere corporate, even after the dealer said I would be wasting my time. Which it was. I explained that I have always been a John Deere customer and that I felt a $2000 repair bill on a tractor with 225 hours on it was rediculous for a gasket material that didn't hold up. My tractor is always stored indoors and it looks brand new. I told her that a search of the internet shows that Deere knows it is a problem. Her reply was that you could search the internet and find problems with anything, that if they sold 10,000 units and had problems with 300 of them, they would be on the internet. She said that out of warranty was my responsibility. I understand that if I had worn a part out or broke something internally by overworking the tractor it is my problem. But this leak developed on the tractor sitting in my building when the weather turned cold a few weeks ago.
I am now contemplating just tearing it down myself, but I'd rather not be so mad when I am doing it. I also am wondering if anybody on here has experienced the same problem with their 4720 and what their results were.